AllFreeNovel
Share Us
From their expressions, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure they weren’t serious.
Chapter 27
Merry
Merry groaned as “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” blared from her phone, which was dancing across her nightstand obnoxiously. She picked it up and saw the time. Twelve eleven? Pressing the green talk button, she tried to roll onto her back, but Daisy was sprawled out on her bed sideways. With a gravelly voice, she answered, “You’d better be maimed and bleeding out.”
“Little sister, did I wake you up?” Nick asked cheerfully.
“Hanging up now.”
“No, don’t do that. I need a ride. Clark and I had a little too much to drink and Noel is at work.”
Merry sat up in bed and mumbled, “Alexa, turn on the bedroom light.”
Blinded for several beats, she closed her eyes. She heard Daisy groan behind her, obviously as happy as she was to be disturbed.
“Since when is my man one of your drinking buddies?”
“Since he’s had a rough couple of days and I thought a few festive drinks at Brews would do him good. So, come get us, will ya?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want her brother and Clark to get along, but Clark wasn’t much for getting drunk and it worried her.
“Give me fifteen.”
“Thank you, sister, you are fant—”
She hung up on whatever else Nick said and threw her legs over the side of the bed, opening one eye and then the other, blinking rapidly. She’d fallen asleep waiting for Clark to get home and opened her texts with him, scrolling through the half dozen he’d sent.
Your brother and his friends may be trying to kill me.
If I don’t come home, Nick did it.
I may be a little drunk.
I miss you.
I love your scent on my sheets.
I’m ned to sleop in ma car. Sorry.
As she got up and threw on her clothes, Merry’s heart hammered. She’d never seen him drink more than a beer, but if he’d been kicking back drinks with Nick and his pals, then Patrice must have really spun his head. She’d wanted to be there with him for moral support, but respected his decision to go alone. Now her mind raced with what the heck that woman said to him. As much as she’d wanted to give Patrice the benefit of the doubt, Merry wouldn’t allow her to hurt Clark or Jace again.
“Come on, Daisy,” she said, grabbing her leash from the hook by the front door. The puppy hopped down each stair slowly, giving Merry a disgruntled look. “Don’t blame me. You can tell it to Uncle Nick.”
After Daisy went potty, Merry led her to the car, loading her into the back seat. She couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep, especially with how keyed up she’d been waiting for Clark to finish his meeting with Patrice. Maybe it was the late night and early morning romps with Clark or the stress of knowing Patrice was in town, but she’d obviously needed the rest.
She pulled into the Brews and Chews parking lot, stopping right outside the front door with her foot on the brake. She dialed Nick, waiting for him to answer.
“Hello, dear sister.”
“Your Uber is here.”
“We’re coming out.”
“Hurry up. I want to go back to bed.”
The call ended and Merry watched the door open and Nick and Clark came pouring out, talking animatedly like they hadn’t a care in the world. Merry’s eyes narrowed as Nick grabbed her passenger door and held it for Clark. “In you go, pal.”
